anecdote
by k o u s e n
Summary: Did you love someone before mommy? [russell x ed]


anecdote  
(_remember?_ ---»a.story.)

(_russell x ed_)

He often told his children—with their blonde hair and blue eyes, just like their mother's—stories of his past. This, though, wasn't one of them. The stories he usually told were of bright lights and happy endings, with the occasional slip of a sad smile. His kids loved hearing his stories, and would ask every night to hear another. That's what had happened this time.

They'd been pestering him to hear another story. But he was tired, having not gotten a good night's sleep in a few days, and wasn't in the mood to tell a story. He'd already told them all his happy stories, anyway. Twice, in fact, for most of them. They'd asked for a new story, and when he told them he hadn't any new ones to tell, his youngest—his little girl—had spit out the question he'd been dreading. _Did you love someone before mommy, daddy?_

His eyes had widened and he'd choked on his drink, sputtering and coughing and flailing in his old fashioned way for quite a few minutes. Though, he'd finally settled down enough to pull his daughter into his lap, lean back in his chair, and look thoughtfully at the ceiling, wondering where to begin. His children knew what this meant—story time, now be quiet and let daddy remember how it goes.

With this story, he didn't need to try to remember anything. He could still smell the orchard and the lemons, damnit. He didn't need to think about it. He'd never told this story to anyone, and the only person who knew was Alphonse. That, of course, was because he'd witnessed it personally. But he'd been sworn to secrecy.

Al knew about everything, of course. He had often asked Ed just _why _they were going back to Xenotime again. They went there time after time, for days and days. Al, of course, didn't mind; he and Fletcher were friends, but he still wondered why Ed would go on and on about being thrown from place to place, cut off from his search for the stone, then get right onto a train leading away from their next stop. They'd get off at Xenotime and Ed would nearly run for the orchard.

Russell and Ed were much more than friends; everyone knew it. It wasn't spoken through words, but the meeting of eyes and the exchanged smiled were enough to tell who knew and who didn't. When Ed reached the orchard he would run right over to Russell and knock his ladder over, tossing him to the ground. Their smiled were hidden, and they'd fight all the way back to the house. The moment they were in the house they'd disappear to Russell's bedroom, keeping up the fighting for a few moments until they just couldn't stay away from each other.

It was those times when the house would be quiet and felt a lot like home. For hours it would stay that way, until whispering could be heard from behind Russell's door, and the blush could be heard in Edward's voice. Everyone would remain silent and pretend their attention was with something else as they exited the bedroom separately. After that, they didn't fight the whole time Ed and Al were there. Everyone knew and they were aware of that, but the act was fun to put on.

Ed started his story with meeting the two brothers who had stolen their names. He, of course, let them know about getting punched in the face, but made up the part about kicking his ass all the way to Central. The kids were ecstatic about each and every one of their father's escapades, but especially loved the ones where he got to explode stuff or punch people.

He told them everything about the red water and how the trees sucked it up and then exploded into blue crystals into the air. He told them about how he and Al saved Elisa and were heroes of the town—after they got their names back. He told them, with a distant look in his eyes and a small smile on his face, how there were lemon trees and the lemons there were the best you'd ever taste.

He didn't tell them about lips on lips or whispered secrets. He didn't tell them that, yes, this was who he loved before their mother. He didn't tell that that, yes, _I still love him_. He didn't tell them that his biggest regret was not being able to go back to see Russell while he was across the gate in Amestris for the last time.

He sent them to bed, his voice showing that this story wasn't one with a happy ending. Because this wasn't just another fish story. This was life, and this had happened. Life wasn't fair and, hell, Edward Elric would be the right person to tell you that.

---»

(**an**)…---»  
there aren't nearly enough  
russell x ed's on this site.  
there's, like, four, and they're  
all in my favorites. I had a  
russxed day today, watching  
episode 12 over & over and  
reading each and every  
russxed on the site. sad, hmm?

I think russell x ed is the only  
paring I like as much as royed.


End file.
